Mantel Makeover: Holiday Edition

With the holidays fast approaching, two things in particular about my new apartment were making me very excited for Christmas decorating. The first was that my place is big enough to get a big tree (remember the teeny little tree I've been using for the past couple of years?) and the second was that I had a mantel to style up! 

I kept it pretty simple with natural elements and classic red and green to give the mantel some holiday cheer. I wanted it to feel very traditional, sophisticated and (of course) beautiful.

A quick trip out to my favourite local florist proved successful. The flower shop is such a magical place at this time of year, filled to the brim with all the trimmings for gorgeous bouquets, wreath and garland making. I picked up a lovely foxwood wreath, a large swag of leyland cypress branches, fresh red berry branches, and a big bouquet of seeded eucalyptus (for a center piece). I also grabbed some logs to fill up the fireplace - purely decorational as my fireplace is non-functioning, but I think they really add to the cozy feeling! I didn't do anything fancy, just hung the wreath with some fishing wire, tied a big bow and laid the branches out on the mantle. I like the lush, semi wild look this achieved.

Oh I just love Christmas decorating! Have you decorated your mantel? Link to it in the comments below!
xox

Sophisticated Styling: A Narrow Mantle

Today I'm sharing a seldom seen area of my living situation. I've mentioned before that I live in a student building where I have my own studio-style apartment, complete with living room/bedroom area, large walk in closet, and my own bathroom. My kitchen accommodations, however, are shared with the five other girls living in my building. Beside the kitchen, there is also a small community TV area. 

I was inspired by the mantle (on the non-working fireplace) down there the other day and decided to give it a quick makeover using found items from my apartment. Before, it was covered in junk mail and strange odds and ends such as batteries and a spool of thread. 

It's amazing what a ten minutes of styling can do!

The tricky part about styling a narrow mantle is that you only have a few inches of depth to make it count. This eliminates the possibility of any big, sculptural pieces. Instead, I've chosen to layer leaning art for easy switch-out in an asymmetrical layout to break up the formality of the more traditional fireplace. All of the art pieces used are my original paintings. I've added one small, interestingly shaped vase to the vignette to add some 3 dimensionality and a curvilinear form, and threw a couple decorative match boxes to complete the vignette with a 'lived-in' atmosphere.

Is there an area in your house that could use a little extra styling love?
xox

Inspirational Office

Lot's of homework to get through in the next few days, so I'd post a pretty office space to get me motivated. Now if I had a workspace like this I might actually be excited to do my assignments! I love the bright floral rug and the cool art deco archway. Enjoy! xox Tiffany Leigh

via Apartment Therapy (Thank you to Jessica from The Aestate for helping me locate the source)